Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Activated Charcoal

123 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Activated Charcoal. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

123
adverse-event reports
13.8%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
39
Vomiting - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
123
Total Reports
17
Deaths Reported
13.8%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Activated Charcoal

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOther

Species Affected

Dog 98
Cat 24
Horse 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 18
Retriever - Labrador 14
Retriever - Golden 9
Crossbred Canine/dog 5
Beagle 5
Pit Bull 4
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 4
Dog (unknown) 3
Mixed (Dog) 3
Shepherd Dog - Australian 3

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 39
Accidental exposure 29
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 22
Ataxia 18
Seizure NOS 18
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 17
Diarrhoea 16
Overdose 16
Tremor 15
Anorexia 14
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 14
Elevated creatinine 14

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
53 (42.4%)
Recovered/Normal
34 (27.2%)
Outcome Unknown
20 (16.0%)
Died
10 (8.0%)
Euthanized
7 (5.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.8%)

Activated Charcoal Adverse Event Insights

123 reports name Activated Charcoal; 17 recorded a death outcome (13.8% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Activated Charcoal. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Other.

By species: Dog (98 reports), Cat (24 reports), Horse (1 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (18), Retriever - Labrador (14), Retriever - Golden (9).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (39), Accidental exposure (29), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (22), Ataxia (18). Outcome, 125 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 42.4%.

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.